Don’t touch what you can’t tackle, young lawyers told

By Alphonse Porau
THE 64 lawyers who recently graduated from the Legal Training Institute have been advised to steer clear of cases they are not ready to handle – and wait until they have gained enough experience.
Chief Justice Sir Salamo Injia admitted to the bar of the National Court and Supreme Court 38 men and 26 women including seven from the Solomon Islands last Friday.
“I do not want you to fall into the same trap that inexperienced and relatively young lawyers have done in assuming cases that they cannot competently present to the court,” he said.
“If asked by a client or your superior to take a case that does not match your competency level and are not confident about, just say no.”
He said to be a good lawyer takes time.
“Many may say that being a lawyer is an easy job. But it is not. It is hard and tough,” he said.
“You will build that experience over time. Don’t rush. The world is not going to end tomorrow. There is always time.
“Being a lawyer is a lifetime thing. You need to space yourself so that you build experience over time.
“The courts are increasingly seeing evidence of young lawyers admitted three years ago appearing for victims in the top courts and mishandling cases.”
Chief Justice Salamo Injia said he was glad to see gender imbalance in the legal profession being addressed.
“This year the ration was something like 59 per cent male and 38 per cent female unlike before,” he said. “Some 15 years ago, the ratio was around 70 to 80 per cent male and 20 to 30 per cent female. I am glad to say that the gender imbalance in the legal profession is fast closing.”
He said the courtroom and proceedings were where people saw real justice and not a show for people to act out their fantasies.